With "Star Wars'" light sabers slashing across screens everywhere, another movie opens to offer a small, well-timed counterpunch. At the center of "Trekkies" is the understanding that people are never funnier or more fascinating than when pursuing an obsession. As this smart, funny documentary about "Star Trek" fans proves, all you need do is turn on the camera, get a Trekkie talking, and interesting things happen. Director Roger Nygard teamed up with "Star Trek: The Next Generation" alum Denise Crosby (Lt. Tasha Yar)

For years, William Shatner wanted no part of the convention scene, had no desire to appear in front of the Trekkies, fanboys and obsessive sci-fi geeks who all craved a piece of Capt. James Tiberius Kirk. "That's very true," says Shatner, whose stance was perfectly captured in a 1986 "Saturday Night Live" skit, in which he urged a convention of costumed "Star Trek" fans to "get a life, will you, people!" But that was then. Today, Shatner is at peace with Captain Kirk - and, more important, with Captain Kirk's fans.

Little Miss Muffett is an undercover narcotics agent. The Itsy-Bitsy Spider likes to sing duets with the sun. Little Boy Blue wears dark glasses and plays a saxophone that would rival Bill Clinton's. And Humpty Dumpty has an attitude problem.If these don't sound like the nursery rhymes of your childhood, it's because they've been beamed into the '90s by drama club students at Francis Scott Key High School.The rhymes are the core of an original Star Trek play that Key students have created in hopes of entertaining and teaching elementary school audiences the value of learning.

If getting arrested and spending some time in a Klingon jail is your idea of a good time, then don't miss this weekend's Shore Leave 33. It could be the place your dream comes true. "People love it," says Michael Schilling, a spokesman for the three-day science-fiction and fantasy convention opening Friday in Hunt Valley. "People get arrested by Klingons in full costume, they throw you in jail. I think they do things like sing the 'Barney' song to torture you. " Sounds painful.

A few years ago, Trekkies were on red alert. Star Trek Enterprise was on its last legs, leaving television without a Trek show for the first time in 20 years, while the once-lucrative movie franchise lay dormant. But, instead of moving to greener and gooier sci-fi pastures, they took matters into their own hands. Star Trek: New Voyages will be screened at 9 tonight and 10 a.m. Sunday at the Hunt Valley Marriott as part of Shore Leave 29. A weekend pass costs $70. Call 410-496-4456 or go to shore-leave.

Area Trekkies will be setting their transporters for Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn starting today for the 13th Shore Leave Star Trek convention this weekend.Actor George Takei, forever known to Trekkies as the eager Lieutenant Sulu, will take a break from his promotional tour for the Australian-made movie "Prisoners of the Sun" to attend the convention tomorrow and Sunday."Prisoners of the Sun," in which Mr. Takei plays accused Japanese war criminal Baron Takahashi, opens in Washington this month.

If getting arrested and spending some time in a Klingon jail is your idea of a good time, then don't miss this weekend's Shore Leave 33. It could be the place your dream comes true. "People love it," says Michael Schilling, a spokesman for the three-day science-fiction and fantasy convention opening Friday in Hunt Valley. "People get arrested by Klingons in full costume, they throw you in jail. I think they do things like sing the 'Barney' song to torture you. " Sounds painful.

For years, William Shatner wanted no part of the convention scene, had no desire to appear in front of the Trekkies, fanboys and obsessive sci-fi geeks who all craved a piece of Capt. James Tiberius Kirk. "That's very true," says Shatner, whose stance was perfectly captured in a 1986 "Saturday Night Live" skit, in which he urged a convention of costumed "Star Trek" fans to "get a life, will you, people!" But that was then. Today, Shatner is at peace with Captain Kirk - and, more important, with Captain Kirk's fans.

After seven seasons and 16 Emmys, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" warps off the airwaves forever the week of May 22.To ensure a proper send-off for the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D as it embarks on its final television voyage, we're asking fans to tell us what the series has meant to them. Your thoughts about what made the show interesting, fun and/or important will be used as fodder for a report we'll compile to commemorate the final frontier of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and the crew.Send us your thoughts by calling Sundial, The Sun's telephone information service, at (410)

Two series that weren't renewed for the fall -- "Gun" on ABC and "Dark Skies" on NBC -- continue playing out their strings."Dark Skies" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- A young Colin Powell (Wolfgang Bodison) leads the gang to a Russian communications station. NBC."Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (9 p.m.-11 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Kirk is sent to help make peace with the Klingons (why the old Klingon-hater himself? As Spock points out, only Nixon could go to China), but all heck breaks loose.

A few years ago, Trekkies were on red alert. Star Trek Enterprise was on its last legs, leaving television without a Trek show for the first time in 20 years, while the once-lucrative movie franchise lay dormant. But, instead of moving to greener and gooier sci-fi pastures, they took matters into their own hands. Star Trek: New Voyages will be screened at 9 tonight and 10 a.m. Sunday at the Hunt Valley Marriott as part of Shore Leave 29. A weekend pass costs $70. Call 410-496-4456 or go to shore-leave.

With "Star Wars'" light sabers slashing across screens everywhere, another movie opens to offer a small, well-timed counterpunch. At the center of "Trekkies" is the understanding that people are never funnier or more fascinating than when pursuing an obsession. As this smart, funny documentary about "Star Trek" fans proves, all you need do is turn on the camera, get a Trekkie talking, and interesting things happen. Director Roger Nygard teamed up with "Star Trek: The Next Generation" alum Denise Crosby (Lt. Tasha Yar)

Two series that weren't renewed for the fall -- "Gun" on ABC and "Dark Skies" on NBC -- continue playing out their strings."Dark Skies" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- A young Colin Powell (Wolfgang Bodison) leads the gang to a Russian communications station. NBC."Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (9 p.m.-11 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Kirk is sent to help make peace with the Klingons (why the old Klingon-hater himself? As Spock points out, only Nixon could go to China), but all heck breaks loose.

After seven seasons and 16 Emmys, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" warps off the airwaves forever the week of May 22.To ensure a proper send-off for the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D as it embarks on its final television voyage, we're asking fans to tell us what the series has meant to them. Your thoughts about what made the show interesting, fun and/or important will be used as fodder for a report we'll compile to commemorate the final frontier of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and the crew.Send us your thoughts by calling Sundial, The Sun's telephone information service, at (410)

Little Miss Muffett is an undercover narcotics agent. The Itsy-Bitsy Spider likes to sing duets with the sun. Little Boy Blue wears dark glasses and plays a saxophone that would rival Bill Clinton's. And Humpty Dumpty has an attitude problem.If these don't sound like the nursery rhymes of your childhood, it's because they've been beamed into the '90s by drama club students at Francis Scott Key High School.The rhymes are the core of an original Star Trek play that Key students have created in hopes of entertaining and teaching elementary school audiences the value of learning.

Area Trekkies will be setting their transporters for Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn starting today for the 13th Shore Leave Star Trek convention this weekend.Actor George Takei, forever known to Trekkies as the eager Lieutenant Sulu, will take a break from his promotional tour for the Australian-made movie "Prisoners of the Sun" to attend the convention tomorrow and Sunday."Prisoners of the Sun," in which Mr. Takei plays accused Japanese war criminal Baron Takahashi, opens in Washington this month.

Once again the Republicans are telling stories meant to frighten little children. Adults know better. Del. Ron George from Anne Arundel County states that we need to worry about Sharia law. And how does he think this threat will materialize? Who in the U.S. favors such laws? What politician has even hinted that they favor such a change? Only eight Muslim majority countries out of 40 (Mr. George cites only three) have such a legal structure. And we are hardly a Muslim country. Our Muslim population is sixth-tenths of one percent of the total.

When William Shatner's name scrolled across the screen at the New York premiere of "Star Trek Generations," a round of cheers was immediately followed by a groundswell of boos -- the only emotion displayed during the title sequence by an audience of journalists, filmmakers and Trekkies.British actor Malcolm McDowell, whose villain causes the demise of Mr. Shatner's Captain Kirk, collared Mr. Shatner the next morning and gleefully noted how fascinating it was "that 50 percent of the audience love you, and the other 50 percentare so bloody tired of you after 30 years they just want to see you die."